So Cristiano Ronaldo can go to Real Madrid, look a dream in all-white, inflate his bank account, enjoy the Castillana lifestyle, but he will not work with a manager who has developed him like Sir Alex Ferguson, who backed him in his darkest hour after the 2006 World Cup, who has built a dressing room where team-mates stick together.
- Ronaldo's Real move 'unlikely'
- Henry Winter: FA Cup gives football a shot in the arm
- Man Utd homepage | Football fans' forum
Ronaldo's quixotic comments about his future may simply be the usual mating ritual before an improved contract arrives from swooning employers but the Portuguese must think clearly about his decision.
In United's colours this season, Ronaldo has scored 41 goals, lifted the Premier League and reached the Champions League final.
He is adored at Old Trafford, feted by peers and press alike, and could be European Footballer of the Year.
Ronaldo should also remember that the last No 7 to head to the Bernabeu, David Beckham, hardly augmented his medal collection.
Ronaldo should give it two more years at United, and then fall for Madrid's charms.
